Caught in the crossfire
by N3vermore97
Summary: Ebony and Cadance worlds are turned upside down when they find themselves caught in the crossfire of the soul reapers endless battle against the Hollows just a day after moving to Japan. However it is soon discovered that perhaps they too may have to fight. Are they really up to the task and do they have a choice? (Up to series 5 only)


Chapter 1: The thing and the strangers.

"I'm just saying why waste precious time when the boxes will be here to unpack tomorrow?" I announce, my words bouncing of the walls and echoing up the corridors, it is 11pm. Although my body clock is still eight hours behind.  
"Because that's what you do when you move Ebony you unbox things!" she shouts, her temper is wearing thin, admittedly I haven't been much help but what do you expect after a twelve and a half hour flight?  
"Why can't we unpack tomorrow work doesn't start till Monday!"  
"I'm sorry, would you like some cheese with your whine?" she counters,  
"I am seriously rethinking moving here with you! Move to Japan I said, Take Cadance I said, It'll be fun I said" I flop down on the coffee table limbs sprawling off the corners and let out a sigh looking up at the white ceiling. Everything in our new home is painted white. I hate it, it reminds me of a hospital.

Cadance and I had been friends for over half a decade now, at the ages of 24 and 23 we had gone through college and my undergraduate course together leaning on each other for support. I was finally qualified to teach English abroad and Cadance had finally gotten a placement at a hospital in Karakura, a large town where she would be able to work toward a PHD in medicine and micro… micro…. Umm I know this one. It's something scientific and cool sounding. Oh that was it! Biomedical science.

"Get up!" she screams; as I slowly push myself up an empty box comes sailing through the air and hits me in the face.  
"What the hell was that for? You're such a hypocrite, it took you ages to unpack when we moved to Uni. Screw this." I wind my way through a labyrinth of boxes pulling my handbag off the kitchen counter and producing my mobile I begin to dial.  
Unfortunately because the house is still pretty much devoid of furniture her voice carries through the empty space, "What are you doing? Get back in here and help me! Most of this stuff is yours and we still need to put up the beds"  
"Geez I'm ordering a takeout what do you want?"  
"You already know the number and menu for our local takeout" she blinks at me dumbfounded by my brilliant resourcefulness.  
"What can I say? A good boy scout is always prepared."  
"You're unbelievable" she smiles, now that's a nice change. I prefer her when she smiles, she's less annoying and shouty.  
"I'll tell you what's unbelievable Cad, it's finally happening. Things are finally looking up for us. We'll be living the dream before you know it! Awesome jobs, awesome boyfriends, life will be sweet and…" A thump echoes from the back of the house followed by the sound of something heavy dragging across the wood of our floor. It's metal, at least I think it is the way it scrapes and scratches against the wood but I'm more concerned about what's dragging it. After all we two are the only people supposed to be here and Cadance is stood in front of me pupils narrow, face white. I turn and look at her "Get your ass in one of those boxes now." It comes out more shaky and undemanding then I thought it would but she listens crawling in with the linen wrapping it around herself like a cotton coffin. The scraping is getting louder, it's almost at the door so I slide across the floor into the kitchen and hide in the pantry leaving the door open so a slither of light can get through. This is playing hell for my claustrophobia. I can feel the breath catching in my throat as I try to calm my nerves. It walks, no it glides through the doorway, a big black shape with a white mask dragging something behind. My visions gone fuzzy but I don't want to see, my eyes clamp shut like bear traps I hold my breath. A few minutes later it knocks over more boxes and my eyes whip open. I can't let it knock Cadance box so all hope of it leaving without a confrontation disappears. I force myself to concentrate; to push through this haze that has overcome my vision. I should be able to make this thing out perfectly its less than 6 feet away! Oh crap, it's less than 6 feet away. It appears in my preoccupation with coming up with a plan to save Cadance it's got bored of our unassembled flat pack furniture and wandered into the kitchen. This is so unfair, look at her in her box! She hasn't even peeked out to look and see if I'm OK. Brilliant friend you are. If I live you will never hear the end of this. I lean closer to the door pressing my face against the wood, just enough so I can see a 2cm view of what's going on. The dragging sound has stopped. I think it's gone. I finally allow my muscles to relax I place on my hand on the pantry door about to push it open when a large yellow eye flashes in front of me peering in. I scream. I wish I was brave, that I would get up and grab something to smash on its head. Instead I push myself far back into the pantry and cry.

My kitchen window smashes  
"You Bastard!" I hear him scream and then a hand appears dragging the thing away from the door.  
"Ichigo you must be careful, they're here I can feel there spiritual pressure but I can't pinpoint their location exactly" a boy shouts, he is different his voice is different and distinctive.  
"Then what are you doing standing around a lecturing me? You and Rukia find the girls.

I stop crying, who are these people? How do they know we just moved here? This house has been empty for months. I decide we cannot trust this Ichigo and his friends. After all the thing was enough to kill us anything stronger is surely dangerous. I will have to grab Cadance and make a bolt for the door. There should be 3, Ichigo, the boy and Rukia. How hard could this be? I take a breath crouch down and burst out of the pantry. I run as burning fills my legs, going from having your knees drawn up to your chest to sprinting across the room in 20 seconds is not a fun experience. I can feel my chest tightening already. Fucking asthma. The house is totalled. Ichigo has gone through the wall and is standing in my room. He stands tall with a sword as long as his body curved like a knife its handle wrapped in cloth with no hand guard. He lifts it ready to attack, God that thing must weigh a tonne. His bright ginger hair is spiked and he's in what looks like traditional dress. I carry on running towards the living room and hear a crash behind. I assume it's the thing bursting through the walls. The boy sees me as I make it to the living room carpet. He is tall like Ichigo but that is where similarities end. He has black hair framing his face and glasses that cover piercing blue eyes. I carry on running. I have to make it to the box. Then we can get to the door and run into town. The boy says something. I cannot make it out between the roars of the thing and the crashing of braking walls and furniture. The brick dust aggravates my chest further. Each breathe is a hard laborious task. She appears beside me, the girl I assume is Rukia. She looks like I used to at her age. Tall, thin with long dark hair in her eyes. That's all they are is kids, running around fighting this thing and trying to catch us. I make it to the box just as Rukia makes a grab for me. I open the lid and Cadance comes tumbling out. She staggers to her feet and sways, the thing must have knocked the box and hit her. I can't carry her I can barely stand myself.

"Cad! We gotta run Cad there coming to get us!" I shake her hard and she falls to her knees.  
"C'mon!" I scream my voice braking, she tries pushing herself up but falls to the floor. I bend down and grab her underneath her arms dragging her. It's so hard to keep a hold on her my arms feel heavy, the boy and Rukia are almost on us.  
"No!" I scream, I cannot let them have her. I was the one who had brought her here and I was the one who had put her in such danger. My vision begins to blacken around me. I cannot hear the others shouts properly it's like I'm under water and the chlorine is in my eyes. I feel someone try to pull me off.

"No! Let me go! No! No! No! No! No!" each time they pull me back I go back to clinging onto her. I'm almost on top of her. I have to…. I have to…. protect her from…. The thing and the…. their swords.  
Something bats me out of the way and I am left on my back. I can't get up. I can't breathe. The ceiling is different. I black out.

Thump.  
I topple out of bed and sigh. Screw this I'm not getting up I'll just sleep on the floor. I do not even bother with opening my eyes. Quickly inertia leaves me and I get to my feet. That thing and those children. Cadance is she alright? My stomach turns as my mind races at 100mph conjuring images of mangled bodies and twisted teens, I'm going to puke. I don't know whether it's a delayed reaction from last night or the horrid scenarios my brain cooked up for breakfast. I feel it rising up my throat and make a break for the door.  
Shit this isn't my house.  
I walk slowly around room teetering as though my feet have shrunk to the size of a matchstick; the room is very basic, a wooden double bed, a standard wardrobe and a chest of draws. I cross the bamboo mat on the floor about to leave when I catch sight of myself in the mirror. God I look awful. Even worse then I normally do. My eye is bruised black and yellowing at the edges, my shirt is ripped and tattered and I can feel that the bottom of my socks are worn through. Added to how I normally look in the morning it makes me look like a loon. I flatten my short hair down with water from the jug on the draws, tug at the bottom of my shirt and walk into the room opposite.  
I fling open a screen door to a room full of people gawking up at me. I know I look like the tit-less wonder in my XXXL "I'm with stupid" T shirt that I wear as a nightie and my odd socks with my hand clasped across my eye but they kidnapped me and Cadance so there right to judge is revoked

"Where is my friend? I demand to see her." My authoritative tone does not match my outward trembling as I am once again betrayed by my body.  
"Oh you demand it do you?" A man in his early thirties looks at me from across the table. His blonde hair poking out haphazardly from underneath the brim of a stripy white and bottle green bucket hat, a thick strand lies across his nose framing his face. That hat is ghastly but as much as I hate to admit it it's kinda growing on me.  
"Yes I do and if you've hurt her I'll make you sorry" I stand up straight and look into the black space were his eyes should be. Stupid hat.  
"Hey don't worry about it we've been taking care of her darling, Ururu could you ask Cadance to come in here please?" a small girl walks across the room and out of the door, her bunches and pink skirt swaying behind her.  
"Excuse you, I have a name and to you it isn't Darling" God he's such a doofus, sat cross-legged over there grinning at me like a five year old.  
"Hey Ebony, its ok you can trust Mr. Urahara, turns out we got the wrong end of the stick." I turn around and there she is stood behind me, Cadance alive and well. A small scar sits on the corner of her right eye. He treated her wounds. I breathe in and realize that he must have done something to my chest. I couldn't breathe last night there would be no way my chest would be so good even if I did make it through the night without treatment. God I feel so terrible. I kneel down opposite him at the table and bow so low my head almost touches the floor.  
"Mr. Urahara I thank you for caring for Cadance and me and treating our wounds, please accept my humblest apologies it appears I made a poor judgement of your character." He pushes the brim of the hat back exposing his big blue eyes, folds his fan and grins at me.  
"It's no problem really, how's about we get you some breakfast Ebony?" just by looking in his eyes I can tell that he is being genuine. That if anything my thank you and apology make him feel bashful, which is a relief I could have cried if it went straight to his head. I finally relax and smile at him.  
"If it isn't too much trouble Mr. Urahara"  
"Of course not, by the way call me Kisuke." 


End file.
